In the past, ointments, lubricants and skin care products have been prepared from a colorless to amber hydrocarbon mixture which is obtained from oil wells and/or by fractional distillation of petroleum, also known as petroleum jelly—a semisolid and jelly-like material (Chesebrough, U.S. Pat. No. 127,568). Other cosmetic uses of petroleum include petroleum pomade for the hair, which makes use of the finest grade of petroleum jelly, and glycerin cream for chapped hands. Due to the non reactive, oily nature and semisolid characteristics of petroleum jelly and the medium melting range of the hydrocarbon chain, petroleum has been widely used in skin care and non cosmetic applications.
Similar products having a petroleum jelly-like property have also been available for use in both cosmetic and non cosmetic applications. These products are typically prepared from 10-30% beeswax and 70-90% liquid paraffin (a mineral oil), in which the mineral oil is jellified by the beeswax.
Apart from being prepared from petroleum, skin care products prepared from vegetable oils, oleoresins, aromas, waxes and plant extracts have also been developed for healing and caring dry skin with or without zinc. U.S. Pat. No. 6,780,439 (Wilk) discloses a novel solution for the treatment of skin sores and wounds to promote healing and reduce scarring in which the solution consists of cedar leaf oil, zinc oxide ointment, calamine lotion and an ointment base in varying quantities. In another United States Patent Application No. 20050053635 (Puglia et al.), a vehicle containing refined peanut oil for topical use in skin care and for use in skin care therapeutics, a process for making the vehicle and a composition and therapeutic composition made from that process was disclosed.
Although in some instances, olive oil, coconut oil and cocoa butter have been used as a main or second ingredient and or in combination with butter oil and other animal fats to cure or rub dry skins, products having petroleum jelly characteristic with 100% vegetable oil and vegetable oil derivatives have not been reported.
Therefore, there remains a need to provide a plant jelly with 100% vegetable oil and vegetable oil derivatives and no petroleum or animal based products.